Fabaceae

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Fabaceae

• The Legume Family

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A little background information

• Fabaceae forms the third largest family of
  flowering plants with 690-800 genera and
  14,000-20,000 species.
• Fabaceae is comprised of three different
  subfamilies.
• Most occur in subtropical to tropical climates
  but is common throughout many different climate
  areas.
• Leaves are pinnate, bipinnate, simple and in the
  subfamily papilionoideae they are palmate,
  simple, never bipinnate.
• Is an ancient family that has a fossil record
  that extends into the cretaceous period.

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• The legume family (Fabaceae) is the third largest
  family of flowering plants with more than 18,000
  described species. It is surpassed in size only
  by the orchid family (Orchidaceae) with about
  20,000 species and the sunflower family
  (Asteraceae) with about 24,000 species. The
  family includes herbs, shrubs, trees and vines
  distributed throughout the world, especially the
  tropical rain forest. The fruit is technically
  called a legume or pod. It is composed of a
  single seed-bearing carpel that splits open along
  two seams. Legume fruits come in an enormous
  variety of shapes and sizes, including
  indehiscent pods that do not split open. Of all
  the legumes, the peanut is especially fascinating
  because it develops below the ground.
• Plants found on rare or endangered MN list
• Desmanthus illinoensis (Michx.) MacM, Fabaceae --
  prairie mimosa
• Desmodium cuspidatum (Muhl. ex Willd.) DC. ex
  Loud. var. longifolium (Torr. Gray) Schub.,
  Fabaceae -- big tick-trefoil
• Desmodium nudiflorum (L.) DC., Fabaceae --
  stemless tick-trefoil
• Astragalus flexuosus (Hook.) Dougl., Fabaceae --
  slender milk-vetch
• Astragalus missouriensis Nutt., Fabaceae --
  Missouri milk-vetch
• Baptisia alba (L.) Bent., Fabaceae -- white wild
  indigo

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Extra Info

• They all have podded fruit, and have
  nitrogen-fixing nodules at their roots, through a
  symbiotic relationship with soil micro-organisms.
• http//files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/plant_list9-25-0
  2.pdf pp. 8,9,21

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References

• http//www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/199651/F
  abaceae
• http//www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action
  elementDetailselectedElementPDFAB27090
• www.waynesword.palomar.edu/legume1.htm
• http//files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/plant_list9-25-0
  2.pdf